The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (USD), showcased their new electric school buses on Wednesday, October 23rd at Travis Ranch School in Yorba Linda. A total of $47 million in funding was available to replace older diesel, high-emitting, public school buses with new alternative fuel or zero-emission school buses and reduce student’s exposure to cancer-causing and smog-forming pollution.

The South Coast AQMD Governing Board approved awards on December 3, 2021, to replace a total of 178 diesel buses in the South Coast Air Basin with zero and near-zero emission school buses under the Lower-Emission School Bus Program. As part of these awards, Placentia-Yorba Linda USD received over $2.7 million to replace seven old diesel school buses with zero-emission electric buses and to install supporting infrastructure. In late 2023, all seven new zero-emission electric school buses were successfully delivered, and the newly installed charging stations were fully operational. This project will provide emission reductions of approximately 2.7 tons per year of smog-forming nitrogen oxides and 0.2 tons per year of particulate matter.

The buses will service 15 schools, including Travis Ranch School, Tynes Elementary, Mabel Paine Elementary, Rose Drive Elementary, Wagner Elementary, Venture Academy, Topaz Elementary, El Camino School, Linda Vista Elementary, Morse Elementary, Kraemer Middle School, Valencia High School, Yorba Linda Middle School, El Dorado High School, and Woodsboro Elementary.

Replacing older, high-polluting buses and trucks is an effective way to reduce emissions from mobile sources in the South Coast Air Basin. The Lower-Emission School Bus Program includes both replacement to alternative fuel or zero-emission buses and funding for alternative fueling or charging infrastructure.

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About Placentia-Yorba Linda USD:

The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District is located in northeast Orange County, California. The district serves the cities of Placentia and Yorba Linda as well as portions of Anaheim, Fullerton, and Brea.